Photographic developing and fixing apparatus



F. E. JONES AND C. A. SCHWAB.

G AND FIXING APPARATUS.

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UNITED STATES PATENT orrics.

FRANK E. JONES, OF MISSION HILLS, KANSAS, AND CHARLES A. SOEWAB, OF FERGUSON, MISSOURI, ASSIGNORS TO CAMERAGRAPH COMPANY, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

- rn o'roenarmc imvsnorme AND rrxmo arram'rus.

Application filed November 4, 1921. SeriaLNo. 512,954.

and CHARLES A. SCHWAB, citizens of the United States, residing at Mission Hills and Ferguson', respectively," in the counties of Johnson and St. Louis, respectively, and States of Kansas and Missouri, respectively, have invented new and useful Improvev ments in Photographic Developing and Fixing Apparatus, of which specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in machines for exposing, developing and fixing photographically sensitized paper or similar photographic material, a mathe following is a vchine of this {general class being shown and described in S. Letters Patent No. 929,757, Calvin J. Ellis, granted August 3, 1909.

\The primary object of the invention is to simplify and improve the developing and fixing means of a machine of the class re ferred to, it providing a novel and improved 7 arrangement of the developing and fixing baths, whereby facility. in the handling of the prints is attained, particularly with respectto the transfer of the print from the developing bath to the fixing bath, and spilling, dripping or slopping of the developing and fixing solutionsis avoided, and it also providing novel and improved means for insuring complete submergence of the prints in the fixing bath, without curling or folding; of their ends, during and after the transfer of the rints from the developing bath to the fixing bath.

' To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations and arrangementsof parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the features of noveltybeing pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of the specification. In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section through a machine for exposing, developing and fixing photographically sensitize'd material, the machine embodying developing and fixing means constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 represents a transverse vertical section through the machine shown in Fig-- ure 1, the section being taken onthe line 2-2 thereof and looking in the direction of the arrows;

'Figure 3 is a top plan view of the machine, partly in section, and with the cover plate and camera removed;

Figure 4 represents a longitudinal section through the developing and fixing means of the machineillu'strating the manner inwhich the print is withdrawn from the de- =veloping bat-h preparatory to its transfer tothe fixing bath and also illustrating the operation of the submerging device; and Figure 5 is a view similar to! Fi re 4 showing the manner in which the developed other photographic material, although the invention is particularly applicable to machines of the general class shown and described in the above-noted patent which ex pose photographically sensitized paper or similar photographic material, develop the exposed paper or material and then fix the developed print. The preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings and will be hereinafter described in detail. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not restricted to the precise construction shown as equivalent constructions are contemplated and these willibe included within the scope of the claims.

In the present instance, the invention is shown applied to a. machine for developing, exposing and printing photographic paper or similar material, it comprising exposing means designated 1 which embodies substantially a camera having a chamber 2 to con-- vtain a roll 3 of photographically sensitized light rays from the object to be p 0110- graphed onto the sensitive surface of-the- Specification of Letters Patent. Pat ent-( 3d Aug. 29, 1922 photographic paper or other material. A

pair of suitably operated feed rolls 8 grip the strip of paper at the bottom of the exposing chamber and when operated they serve to draw the exposed area of the paper downwardly out of the exposing chamber and to bring a fresh unexposed portion of the paper into position for exposure. A knife is provided for cutting the exposed sections of the paper successively from the remainder of the strip, this knife, as shown, comprising a stationary member 9 which is suitably fixed in a plane below the feed rolls 8 and a cooperative reciprocatory knife blade 10 which is movable toward and from the stationary member 9 and is operative to sever the strip of paper which passes between these members of the knife. The movable blade 1.0 of the knife is suitably supported, as, for example, by guides each strip-severing movement thereof. The

means for exposing, feeding and severing the photographically sensitized strip may be of any suitable or well known construction, the construction. hereinbefore described being an example of one which maybe used in conjunction with the present invention.

The improvements constituting the pres ent invention pertain to the means for handling the photographic paper or material after it has been exposed and it relates particularly to a means for developing and fixing the prints and for insuring complete submergence of the developed prints in the fixing bath, it avoiding curling or doubling of the ends of the prints while contained in the fixing bath. Preferably and as shown in the present instance, the developing and fixing bath and the associated print-handling means are contained in a casing '13 of suitable dimensions which may advantageously be placed beneath the camera and serve as a base therefor. The developing bath is composed, of any suitable photographic developing solution contained in a developing tank 14, the latter being open at its top to receive and discharge the photographic paper and it is mounted to reciprocate within the casing 13 to bring it into position to receive the photographic paper after its exposure in the camera and to effect a traversing movement which functions to remove the developed print from the developing solution and to transfer it to the fixing solution. The developing tank may be mounted and operated in different ,ways to accomplish these results. Preferably and as shown in the present instance, the developing tank is provided at each end with supports 15 which rest on and areslidable longitudinally on rails 16 which are fixed to the respective sides 17 of the casing 13,

these rails supporting the developing tank so that it operates in a plane immediately below the top wall 18 of the casing 13. The

developing tank is shifted along its supporting rails by any suitable means, as, for example, by a pair of bars 19 which are attached to the opposite ends of the developing tank and are movable longitudinally above the rails 16. These bars 19 may be directly operated manually, if so desired, but it is preferable to construct these bars as rack bars, as shown, and to provide a pair of pinions 20 which mesh with the respcctive rack bars and are connected to operate in unison by a shaft 21 which may be provided at one end with an operating crank 22, the shaft 21 beng suitably supported in brackets 23 extended from an adjacent portion of the casing, as, for example, is shown in'Figurc 3. By this arrangement, the developing tank may be brought into the position shown in Figure 1, whereby it will receive an exposed section of the photographic material when the same is fed downwardly by operation of the feed rolls 8, and the dev loping tank can be shifted ment the exposed section of the photographic paper or material contained in the developing tank and which has been undergoing development is drawn out of the developing tank, owing to the factfthat this section of exposed photographic paper is still held by the feed rolls 8; and when the developing tank approaches the dotted line position shown in Figure 4, the free end of the exposed and developed photographic paper or material will be completely withdrawn from the developing tank and it will drop as is indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 4, Preferably, the exposed section of paper is automatically severed from the remainder of the strip by-the movement of the developing tank. To accomplish this result, a pair of rods 24 are attached to the opposite ends of the movable knife blade 10, these rods in the present instance overlying the rails 16 and having downturned lugs 25 thereon which are located in the paths of the supports 15 on the res ective ends of the developing tank. These ugs 25 .are so located that they are engaged by the supports 15 on the developing tank when the latter approaches the limit of its print-withdrawing movement toward the left in Figures 1 and 4, continued movement of the developing tank in such direction causing the bars 24 to be pulled toward the left, drawing the movable knife 10 with them, while the movement of the developing tank toward the left has been completed, as is'shown by the full lines in Figure 5, the movable knife blade 10 being thus caused to engage and sever the developed section of the strip from the remainder thereof at a point below the feed rolls 8. The initial part of the return developing tank; and in order to positively" insure retraction of the movable knife blade, the latter is preferably provided at its opposite ends with downwardly projecting lugs 26 which are located in the paths of the supports on the respective ends of the developing tank, so that as the latter returns to its initial or full line position, as

shown in Figure l, the movable knife blade 10 will be positively retracted, should it fail from any cause to return under the action of the restoringfspring 12.

The fixing tank which receives the developed print from the developing tank, according to the present invention, is located beneath the developing tank and in its ran e of movement, so that the fixing tank will be in a position to receive any developing liquid which may be spilled, splashed or slopped from the developing tank or theprint. This fixing tank designated 2? is elongated so that it is. approximately coextensive with the range of movement of the developing tank and it is preferable to construct the fixing tank with an inclined bottom 28, the inclination thereof being in a direction from the end beneath the feed rolls 8 and downwardly toward its opposite end, a depression being thus provided at the end of the fixing tank remote from the feed rolls, in which depression the lowermost fixed prints may gravitate and settle,thus affording ample depth of fixing solution to receive and submerge a large number of prints. The fixing tank is preferably so mounted that its upper edge is horizontal or substantially so and the shallower end of the tank is supported by a ledge 29 which may project inwardly from the adjacent end of the enclos ing casing. The fixing tank may be introduced'into the casing 13 through one of its side walls which may be provided for this purpose with a suitable door 30 and the top wall 18 of the casing 13 is preferably provided with a door 31 through which access may be had to the developing tank for the introduction of developing solution or other purposes.

By locating the fixing tank beneath the path of movement of the developing tank, the developed print, designated P, in Figure 4, will be withdrawn from the developing tank during the movement of the latter toward the left until the free end of the print clearsthe developing tank, this end of the print then dropping by gravity into the solution contained 1n the fixing bath, and when the movement of the developing tank toward the left in Figure 4 causes sev ering of the developed print from the remainder of the strip, the entire print will lie in or'upon the surface of the fixing solution in the fixing tank 27, as is shown substantially in Figure 5. The present invention provides novel and improved means for insuring complete submergence of the developed print into the fixing bath to "cause complete and uniformfixing thereof andit also prevents curling or doubling over of the ends of the print while lyingin the fixing solution. This'submerging'means in its preferred form and as shown in the present instance, comprises a submerging member 32 which is preferably in the form of a pendant member comprising an upper supporting cross bar 33 and a lower print engaging and submerging member 34. The ends of the upper cross bar 33 of the submerging memberoverhang and are adapted to rest and travel longitudinally on a pair of rails 35 which are fixed to the side walls of the casing 13 and the supports 15 which carry the developing tank, are provided with downwardly extending forked brackets 36 which straddle the respective ends of the upper cross bar ,33 of the submerging member, whereby reciprocating movement of the developing tank on its rails 16 will cause reciprocating movement of the submerging member in unison therewith, but the submerging member is capable of independent rising and lowering movements relatively to the developing tank. The lower cross bar 34 of the submerging member is adapted to contact with or be drawn over the prints contained in the fixing solution and in order to prevent catching of this lower cross bar on the ends of these prints which, if such occurred, curling or folding of the ends of such prints, two pairs of switches 37 and 38 are provided which operate to cause elevating movement of the submerging member when passing the ends of the prints. The switches 37 are located toward one end of the fixing tank and function to elevate the submerging member while the latter is moving toward the left in Figure 4, while the switches 38 are located toward the opposite end of the fixing tank llfi in reverse relation to the Switches 37 and these switches 38 function to elevate the submerging member while the latter is moving toward the right in Figure 4. The switches are pivotally mounted at 39 and 40 respectively on the respective sides of the casing 13 above the rails 35 and they comprise the inclined portions 41- and 42 which are preferably beveled at their ends so as to fit closethat their inclined portions 41 and -12 normally bear on the rails 23:) and they will tilt under the weight of the subnierging member while the latter is traversing the extensions l3 and 44, but the switches will be defiected to permit the passage of the upper cross member 33 of the submerging member when the latter approaches either pair of switches from the underside of the inclined portions thereof. The mode of operation of the submerging member and its controlling switches will be clearly understood from Figures 1. 4 and 5. The developing tank and the subn'ierging member are shown in their initial or starting position in Figure 1. the exposed section of the photographic. paper having been fed into the dcveloping tank. The developing tank is then shifted toward the left in Figures 1, :1 and 5, the exposed section of photographic paper being held by the feeding rolls 8, in consequence of which the exposed section of paper will be gradually withdrawn from the developin tank during its traversing movement. he submerging device shifts toward the left in unison with the developing tank, but while the submerging device initially rests on the rails 35 it is caused to ascend when it encounters the inclined portions 41 of the pair of tracks 37, the submerging device being thereby caused to rise, so that its lower edge clears the adjacent ends of any developed prints that may be contained in the fixing bath and after the submerging device has passed the switches 37 it descends and returns to its support on the rails it continuing to anove toward the left in unison with the developing tank while resting on the rails 35 and pushing upwardly and passing beneath the inclined portions 42 of the other pair of switches. Duringthe movement of the developing tank toward the left, the free end of the developed print will have been completely withdrawn from the developing tank so that it will drop into the fixing bath, as is illustrated by the dotted lines in Figure 4, and the following portion of the movement of the developing tank toward the left causes the movable knife blade 10 to operate to sever this print from the remainder of the strip, so that the severed end of the print will drop into the fixing bath. Figure 5 shows in full lines the extreme movement of the developing tank and submerging de vice toward the left. The initial part of the return movement of the developing tank toward the right causes the submerglng dewoe to engage and to travel upwardly on the inclined portions 42 of the switches 38, in consequence of which the submerging device will be caused to rise while passin ,the ends of the prints contained in the xing bath and after passing these switches 38, the submergingdevice descends to reengage the rails 35, and during the remainder of its return movement this submerging device is drawn over the uppermost print lying in the fixing bath, thus causing complete submergence thereof. As the submerging device approaches the end of its return movement it deflects upwardly and thus passes beneath the inclined portions 41 of the switches 37. By this mode of operation, it will be understood that the submerging device will be drawn over the intermediate portions of the prints lying in the fixing bath to cause complete submergence thereof but it will be elevated before assuming a position above the prints so as to avoid its catching upon and thus causing curling or folding of the ends of the prints. e claim as our invention 1. In a machine of the class described embodying means for feeding an exposed portion of a sensitized strip, the combination of a reciprocable developing tank movable into a position to receive the exposed portion of the strip from said feeding means and also movable to withdraw such exposed portion of the strip therefrom. means for severing the exposed and developed portion of the strip from the remainder thereof, and a relatively stationary fixing tank located below the reciprocable developing tank to receive the exposed and severed portion of the strip. 2. In a machine of the class described. the combination of a reciprocable developing tank adapted to receive an exposed portion of a sensitized strip while in one position and movable in a direction away from such position to withdraw such portion of the strip therefrom, and a relatively stationary fixing tank located in a plane beneath the developing tank and having a length substantially coextensive with the range of movement of the developingtank to receive the portion of the strip withdrawn therefrom.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a reciprocatory developing tank operative to receive and to withdraw therefrom a portion of a strip of photographic material, and a relatively stationary fixing tank located below the plane of movement of the developing tank to receive such portion of material therefrom and having its bottom sloping downwardly toward one end thereof to cause prints accumulating therein to settle toward such end of the tank.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a' developing tank recipro cable to receive and to discharge a section of photographic material, a relatively stationary fixing tank located below the plane of the developing tank to receive the section of photographic material therefrom, and means for submerging the sections of such material in the fixing solution in the fixing tank embodying a submerging member reci rocable across the fixing tank and reciprocation,

5. In a machine of the class described, the

combination of a reciprocable developing tank, a fixin tank located below the developin tan a submerging member reciproca 1e across the fixing tank in unison with the movements of the developing tank, and means for elevating the submerging member prior to the commencement of each reciprocation thereof.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a reciprocable developing tank, afixin tank located below the developing tan a submerging device connected to the developin tank and arranged to reciprocate across the fixing tank, and means for raising the submerging device at the commencement of each reciprocation thereof and for supporting such d vice at a relatively lower elevation during theremainder of each reciprocation thereof.

7. In apparatus of the class described, the

combinationwith a tank to contain a fixing solution and to receive developed photographic prints, of a pendant submerging device, means for reci rocating it across the fixing tank, tracks or supporting the submergmg device during its reciprocation at a level to act on prints contained in said tank, and means for causing the submerging device to rise above said level and subsequently descend to said level at the commencement of .each reciprocation thereof.

8. In apparatus of the class described, the combinatlon with a tank to contain a fixing solution and to receive developed photographic prints, of a pendant submerging device, means for reclproc'ating it; across the fixing tank, tracks for supporting the submergmg device during its reciprocation at a level to act on prints contained in said tank, and switches onsaid tracks operative during the commencement 0f"recipr0cati0n' of said device in one direction to elevate such device above said level and subsequently return it to said level, said switches being inactive during the reciprocation of said device in a reverse direction.

9. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a tank to contain a fixing solution and to receive developed photographic prints, of a pendant submerging device, means for reciprocating it across the fixing tank, tracks for supporting the submerging device during its reci rocation at a level to act on prints contained in said tank, and reversely-arranged switch-esteward the opposite ends of said track operative respectivelyduring the reciprocations of said device 1n opposite directions to elevatc and subsequently lower said device at v the commencement ofeach reciprocation thereof and to cause the submerging device to traverse the remainder of its reciproca' tion at said level.

1 10. In apparatus of the class described,

the" combination of a reciprocatory developin tank, a fixing tank;located below it, a su mergin device adapted to operate in the fixing tanl means carried by the developing tank for causing the submerging device to reciprocate in unisonwith it but per-.

mittin relative vertical movement between the su merging device and the developing tank, a track for supporting the submergmg device 'at a predetermined level durin reciprocation across the fixing tank, an reversely-arranged inclined switches toward the opposite ends of the track eachoperative to elevate said device above saidv level and then return it to said level at the commencement of its reciprocation in each direction.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our h ds.

- FRANK E. JONES.

its.

CHARLES A. SCHWAB; 

